Board has tax plan to help Manatee schools recover

Published: Thursday, July 25, 2013 at 11:52 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, July 25, 2013 at 11:52 p.m.

MANATEE COUNTY - Rising home values will bring the Manatee County School District a much-needed increase in funding from property taxes this year, but those higher values mean homeowners could pay a bit more in school property taxes even though the overall tax rate will likely go down a bit.

On Monday, the School Board has indicated it may lower the tax rate from about 7.59 to 7.57 mills. One mill is equal to $1 of tax per $1,000 of taxable value.

The new tax levy is also needed to receive more than $160 million in education grants from the state.

Altogether, the proposed tax levy could bring $196 million in revenue to a school district that suffered a massive budget deficit last year because of faulty controls and a lack of oversight from past leadership.

Chief Financial Officer Michael Boyer said that the school district is still predicting a $6.3 million budget deficit from the previous school year, which ended June 30.

"We need to add revenues to make up for this projected deficit," Boyer said Thursday. "We have to make up that balance."

Under the new rate, a taxpayer with a home valued at $200,000 would pay $1,514 in school taxes — about $4 less than last year.

But because property values have increased, taxpayers may find themselves paying more for school taxes than last year despite lower rates. According to the Manatee Property Appraiser's Office, property values countywide have increased by roughly 4 percent.

If that same owner of a $200,000 home last year saw their value increase by 4 percent, they would pay about $58 more this year.

Today, the School Board is scheduled to receive a tentative budget book before the first public hearing for the budget on Monday. The board is expected to vote on the tax levy change then.

District officials said they have scheduled two additional hearings that are not required by the state so that a public with a major trust deficit has more opportunities to learn about the process.

On Thursday, board members asked questions about a proposed $343 million operating budget that school officials say will make up the deficit, pay back revenue taken from individuals schools earlier this year and build back to reserves to state-mandated levels for the first time in three years.

Members of the public and some board members also expressed frustration by last-minute information and an eight-month delay in when officials typically start developing the budget. Boyer said the district has had to completely revamp the budget process, which was so inefficient that new leadership has calculated a $38 million shortfall here in the past four years.

"I'll be honest with you," Boyer said. "It was excruciating to fund all those things that weren't funded and rebuild the deficit and build a $10.3 million fund balance."

Then the man who has publicly owned the task of building back a severely broken budget pointed out a page in his budget summary.

On it was a photograph: a line of firefighters digging a trench next to orange flames that needed to be controlled.

<p><em>MANATEE COUNTY</em> - Rising home values will bring the Manatee County School District a much-needed increase in funding from property taxes this year, but those higher values mean homeowners could pay a bit more in school property taxes even though the overall tax rate will likely go down a bit.</p><p>On Monday, the School Board has indicated it may lower the tax rate from about 7.59 to 7.57 mills. One mill is equal to $1 of tax per $1,000 of taxable value.</p><p>The new tax levy is also needed to receive more than $160 million in education grants from the state.</p><p>Altogether, the proposed tax levy could bring $196 million in revenue to a school district that suffered a massive budget deficit last year because of faulty controls and a lack of oversight from past leadership.</p><p>Chief Financial Officer Michael Boyer said that the school district is still predicting a $6.3 million budget deficit from the previous school year, which ended June 30.</p><p>"We need to add revenues to make up for this projected deficit," Boyer said Thursday. "We have to make up that balance."</p><p>Under the new rate, a taxpayer with a home valued at $200,000 would pay $1,514 in school taxes — about $4 less than last year.</p><p>But because property values have increased, taxpayers may find themselves paying more for school taxes than last year despite lower rates. According to the Manatee Property Appraiser's Office, property values countywide have increased by roughly 4 percent.</p><p>If that same owner of a $200,000 home last year saw their value increase by 4 percent, they would pay about $58 more this year.</p><p>Today, the School Board is scheduled to receive a tentative budget book before the first public hearing for the budget on Monday. The board is expected to vote on the tax levy change then.</p><p>District officials said they have scheduled two additional hearings that are not required by the state so that a public with a major trust deficit has more opportunities to learn about the process.</p><p>On Thursday, board members asked questions about a proposed $343 million operating budget that school officials say will make up the deficit, pay back revenue taken from individuals schools earlier this year and build back to reserves to state-mandated levels for the first time in three years.</p><p>Members of the public and some board members also expressed frustration by last-minute information and an eight-month delay in when officials typically start developing the budget. Boyer said the district has had to completely revamp the budget process, which was so inefficient that new leadership has calculated a $38 million shortfall here in the past four years. </p><p>"I'll be honest with you," Boyer said. "It was excruciating to fund all those things that weren't funded and rebuild the deficit and build a $10.3 million fund balance."</p><p>Then the man who has publicly owned the task of building back a severely broken budget pointed out a page in his budget summary.</p><p>On it was a photograph: a line of firefighters digging a trench next to orange flames that needed to be controlled.</p>